EU-India

The European Union and India launched negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement in June 2007. However, between the governments, a number of controversies have been plaguing the talks. Delhi wants Brussels to relax its stringent food safety criteria which penalise Indian farm and fishery exports and to make it easier for Indian professionals to work in the EU. Europe is primarily out to win major openings of India’s services sector and broad liberalisation of foreign investment, while India does not want to discuss allowing European firms to compete in India’s government procurement market.

Indian social movements, including fisherfolk and labour unions, people living with HIV/AIDS and other health activists have been mobilizing against the FTA. International actions and campaigns have particularly targeted the proposed intellectual property provisions of the agreement, and the impact of the FTA on access to medicines.

Launched in June 2007, the negotiations for the proposed BTIA have witnessed many hurdles with both sides having major differences on key issues like IPR, duty cut in automobile and spirits, and liberal visa regime.

India and the European Union (EU) are set to begin talks soon on re-starting stalled negotiations for a free trade pact but New Delhi will not favour pre-conditions, such as prioritising an investment agreement that the 29-member bloc had earlier insisted upon.

India and the European Union failed to fix a date to re-launch negotiations on the proposed bilateral Free Trade Agreement, or a timeline to successfully conclude the talks that “were temporarily put on hold in summer 2013.”

The EU now wants to negotiate the Bilateral Investment Treaty before it starts negotiating the EU-India BTIA. This poses an impasse because India will not accept one of the clauses which allows EU investors to challenge the government in front of an international tribunal.

Recent events including the ongoing Brexit negotiations and the termination of investment treaties might however have a direct impact on the trade deal and one can expect negotiations to resume in the near future.

A top European Union official sounded the alarm that efforts to revive talks on a trade deal with India could be derailed by the imminent expiry of several bilateral investment protection deals with its member states.

8-Mar-2018People over Profit

Peoples movements, especially women, are enraged that the revived and rebranded CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership), an agreement set to trample on people’s rights, will be signed today, March 8, the very same day that is historically dedicated to honor the struggle of working class women against injustice and capitalist exploitation, and for the advancement of their rights.

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